Mercedes-Benz B-Class: MPV for the high-end lifestyle segment

If you’re looking for style, sophistication, panache and exclusivity, but also need the versatility of an MPV, the B-Class is the best choice.

Mercedes-Benz’s B-Class and the A-Class share much of the underpinnings and powertrain technologies with the company’s forays to the lower end of the automotive spectrum, keen to attract new and younger buyers into the high-end lifestyle segment but with a generous amount of practicality and versatility missing from the three-pointed star’s traditional luxury vehicles and sports cars.

But the B-Class, internally codenamed W246, points the way to Mercedes-Benz’s future. It was the first of its kind (front-engine, transverse-mounted), and sired the A-Class, CLA-Class and upcoming GLA-Class compact SUV. The A-Class was excellent to drive and the GLA equally so because of its sporting/performance ethos.

Though Mercedes-Benz calls the B-Class a Compact Sports Tourer, it is for all intents and purposes a five-seat multipurpose vehicle (MPV). And when car manufacturers stray from their usual segments to go elsewhere, it’s always a risky proposition.

Safety features

Mercedes-Benz is known for safety. And at least in this front, the B-Class is without fault: You have the entire gamut of electronic aids to prevent accidents from happening, such as ABS-EBD brakes with brake-assist, electronic stability control program, traction control and Mercedes-Benz’s PRE-SAFE System, which recognizes imminent accidents and raises your seats if reclined, raises the windows, primes the brakes for a full-stop and tightens up the seatbelt tensioners. Four air bags are standard, with a further two more as optional extras. The front seats are 86 millimeters lower than its predecessor, too, which improves handling by lowering the center of gravity somewhat and reduces the rolling sensation when sitting inside the car for the driver. By doing so, Mercedes-Benz eschewed the previous complicated sandwich-floor layout of the first generation B-Class, and saving weight in the process.

Getting in and out is easy, as expected of any MPV. The tall ride height offers easy entry and exit, and offers a few more millimeters of useful ground clearance for traversing poor terrain or braving flash floods versus conventional sedans. It’s also roomy inside; the generous rear cargo area is able to hold a massive 488 liters of cargo, more so with the sliding middle row seats dropped down. My particular car had a splash, if not metallic, accent across the dash with rich, soft leather and contrasting stitching. The brake and gas pedals look like very racey aftermarket items that feature polished aluminum with little rubber knobs to improve grip, much like your expensive Italian driving shoe. If these small additions are not enough, you can opt to modify the interior by choosing from a wide range of leather hides, a variety of wood trim, metal or carbon fiber accents, contrasting stitching and piping for special indent orders. But be careful doing so, as you can easily inflate the B-Class’ price tag!

Power comes from a Blue EFFICIENCY 1.6-liter, twin-cam 16-valve direct-injected and turbocharged engine mated to Mercedes-Benz’s seven-speed dual clutch transmission. On the move, the B-Class powers forward seamlessly, offering enough grunt thanks to the 155 horsepower and 250 Newton-meters of torque available from 1250 to 4000 revolutions per minutes, where we spend almost all of our time powering behind the wheel in most traffic conditions. At low speeds, particularly in stop-and-go traffic driving, the Benz’s DCT transmission can be a wee bit jerky but is par for the course, given how other DCT-equipped vehicles from key rivals behave. Interestingly, the engine feels very unstressed and lightly tuned, Mercedes-Benz could have opted to boost power further—perhaps up to 200 HP—from this lump, but probably decided not to do so for better reliability and longevity.

Between sedan, SUV

You sit slightly high-up inside the B-Class, somewhat in between the sensation of riding IN a regular sedan and riding ON top of an SUV. The handsome three-spoke steering wheel, similar to that found in the CLS four-door coupe, adjusts for both reach and rake. A large LCD screen that displays audio, ventilation and other vehicle data dominates your view. You also have auxiliary-mounted buttons for the Mercedes-Benz’s infotainment system, which has CD/tuner/Bluetooth connectivity for your media device and telephony for your mobile phone, plus simple directional and control keys for the vehicle computer, which displays information at the main instrument cluster. The center console is still cluttered with various small, almost unreadable buttons along with its own rotary dial control, though Mercedes-Benz has yet to learn how to carefully integrate its media device with a set of simple buttons and rotary knob like BMW’s iDrive and Audi’s MMi systems, respectively.

The electric power steering is light, which suits the B-Class’ easy-going, effortless and smooth demeanor, and it also has decent feel. The brakes are firm but a bit squishy, perhaps in need of some bleeding, while the throttle has a firm initial tip-in feel but smoothens out as you pile on the power. The rear multilink suspension is sporty firm but still offers decent compliance on the road, while the front Macpherson layout, again a departure from traditional double-wishbone setups, is sharp but I did notice that when the car is fully loaded, it can get a bit crashy, perhaps due to the nose-heavy nature of the front-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz. But overall, the 2,699-millimeter wheelbase endows the Benz with real high-speed stability.

My B200 test unit had the Night Package, which eliminates all the chrome bits and adds diamond-cut looking black and polished silver alloy wheels, and a sports suspension that lowers the car by almost an inch (20 mm). On most roads, the B-Class encourages you to drive faster. And despite the somewhat crashy front end, it acquits itself well by being competent, decently involving and genuinely exciting to drive. On normal traffic conditions, it’s on the firm side for cruising, but the 1,425-kilogram curb weight, though heavy, helps it ride smoothly too, the weight probably down to lots of NVH insulation as it is quiet inside this B-Class.

Very enjoyable drive

Overall, the B-Class, with the sports suspension and handsome 18-inch wheels, is a very enjoyable drive. The sportiness is a welcome bonus in a segment that doesn’t really need it. In Europe, it would make a very good argument versus the Peugeot, Citroen or Renault MPVs as the French practically invented the segment. I know I’d be driving one should I have the need for an MPV. People might be put off by its lack of flash value (How flashy can an MPV be at the end of the day?) as a Mercedes-Benz comes with certain expectations despite prices starting at only P1.9 million, probably the cheapest Mercedez-Benz you can buy brand new. It has the fine engineering you’d expect from a German-made car; it also is luxurious if you’ve modified it well, and is very safe given all the safety gear included as standard.

But in this day and age where everyone and their mothers want some flash factor, the B-Class lacks quite a bit of it, three-pointed star notwithstanding. Now if you were looking at a nice MPV though, the B-Class is very appealing given its spec, competitive pricing and that badge. Consider that a top-spec Kia Carens is around P1.5 million, a top-spec Peugeot 5008 MPV is around the same price as the B-Class (though it is a larger seven-seater) and the smaller 3008 is a few hundred grands less, you realize that the B-Class is right smack in the middle.

If you’re looking for style, sophistication, panache and exclusivity, but also needing the versatility of an MPV, the B-Class is the best choice. Mercedes-Benz nailed this one right.